Horizon Passenger Goes Overboard

Yesterday. I received information from a Cruise Law News reader that a man went overboard from the M/V Horizon operated by Croiseires de France between the Dominican Republic and St. Maarten.

Today a newspaper in St. Maarten reported that yesterday, the police department in St. Maarten received a call from the security office at the A.C. Wathey Cruise Facilities in St. Maarten that they had received a message from the Horizon cruise vessel informing them that a passenger on board of the cruise ship had allegedly jumped from the ship in open waters between the Dominican Republic and Saint Maarten.

The AP says that the U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a missing cruise ship passenger from Ireland, but has the location slightly different. The AP states that the man is suspected of "going overboard" near Puerto Rico. The AP story doesn’t indicate how the man went overboard.

The Coast Guard identified the man as 67-year-old Dominic William O’Carroll.

The Horizon is an old ship and is not fitted with any semblance of an automatic man overboard system. One news source say that a crew member reported seeing "an object" falling into the water. Eventually, a check of surveillance film revealed the passenger going overboard around 5:00 AM. There has been no verification by authorities that the passenger jumped.

A 33-foot Special Purpose Craft Law-Enforcement vessel from Boat Station San Juan and one from Boat Station St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.

The U.S. Government should invoice cruise ships that refuse to install automatic man overboard systems. Average search expenses of the U.S. can easily exceed $500,000 and reach $1,000,000. These expenses would be largely unnecessary if the cruise lines invested money to install new technology needed to keep passenger safe.

April 16, 2015 Update: A newspaper in Ireland reports that "since the search began early Monday morning, Coast Guard rescue crews conducted 12 air and surface searches covering an area of approximate 1,265 square nautical miles, an area approximately one third the size of Puerto Rico." A Coast Guard representative says "the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of this passenger remain unclear." There is no confirmation that the passenger jumped. as originally claimed by the ship.

Why oh why is it so hard?
Ultimately it’s a win win for seaworthy vessels to install Man Overboard Systems.
Stop thinking about the mighty dollar and more about saving or retrieving human beings.

AJO’Carroll

Re. Dominic William’Carroll
I would be grateful for any information relating to the above.The description Fits that of my younger brother who I know has worked on cruise ships in the Caribbean.He hails from Limerick Ireland and has traveled widely .

Vicki arvay

Hello..I knew and sailed with a Dominick O’Carroll from 1990 thru 1994..when he worked for single world..I knew he was from limerick and his age is about right and I knew he worked on st martin…I pray this was not him…please contact and together we will do some investigating…I would like to help u out…thank you..Vicki

Graham & Linda Powell

We were passengers on this ship at the time of this tragedy. We didn’t meet Patrick but have been surprised that more articles have failed to emerge since April.

Pedr Fawkes

I believe this is the same Dominic O’Carroll that was a fellow bar owner of mine in Chiang Mai, Thailand. He used to work on the cruise ships. If so this is a sad loss. One of his best friends was called Ian and lived on St Maarten, so this would all tie in.

Bob Wolf

Worked at Singleworld aboard ships with Dominic for three years in the early eighties. He had vouched for me in obtaining the job, which totally changed my life’s direction. This news was very sad for me. One doesn’t meet many like him in life. Rest in peace , Dominic.

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Cruise ship accidents, injuries, crimes, disappearances, fires, and collisions on the high seas involve issues of maritime law. Jim Walker graduated from law school in 1983 and has been handling maritime law cases for the past thirty-five years. He handles a wide variety of cases from serious injuries to the highest profile sexual assault and cruise crime cases.